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As the U.S. economy slows, the likelihood of significant federal or local investment in new mass transit diminishes. But low- and moderate-income families depend upon housing close to transit to reduce their commuting expenses and improve access to jobs, schools, and other opportunities. Not surprisingly, the rental market has already begun to grow tighter in communities near existing transit...

Analyzed data from 94,000 real estate transactions in 15 major markets and found that in 13 of the 15 markets, higher levels of walkability, as measured by Walk Score, were directly linked to higher home values. Key Finding: Houses with the above-average levels of walkability command a premium of about $4,000 to $34,000 over houses with just average levels of walkability.

Forty years ago, Congress passed Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968 (the “Fair Housing Act”), which prohibits discrimination in public and private housing markets that is based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability, or familial status. The Act requires communities and the federal government to proactively further fair housing residential integration, and equal...